February 20, 2025: The origin of "eureka!" moments, a breakthrough (maybe) in quantum computing, and the unsung discoverer of Down syndrome. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | • Microsoft announced that it has created the first "topological qubits"—a way of storing quantum information that the company hopes will underpin a new generation of quantum computers. | 3 min read | | | Where do "eureka!" moments originate in the brain? Psychologists asked study participants to solve complex brain teaser puzzles while hooked up to either an electroencephalography (EEG) or a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine. When participants had aha! moments while solving the teasers they had bursts of high-frequency brain waves in their brain's right temporal lobe, just above the right ear. That part of the brain, the right anterior superior temporal gyrus, connects with many other brain regions. Give the puzzles a try (and read the article for the solutions). | | | Jen Christiansen; Source: "Restructuring Processes and Aha! Experiences in Insight Problem Solving," by Jennifer Wiley and Amory H. Danek, in Nature Reviews Psychology, Vol. 3; January 2024 (candle problem reference) | | |
Why this is interesting: Insight is driven by unconscious processes in the brain. Insight enhances learning and memory, and is associated with our ability to make connections between seemingly unrelated ideas. Oddly, people who rely on insight have an enhanced ability to detect misinformation: the researchers found that those prone to aha! moments are better able to discriminate between real news stories and fake ones.
Two ways of thinking: People tend to either rely on insight or on analytical thinking (although mood and circumstances can change which someone employs in the moment). Brain scans show those who rely mostly on insight have greater resting-state activity at the back of the brain (below, left), whereas more analytical participants have greater activity in frontal areas (below, right). | | | Jen Christiansen; Source: "Resting-State Brain Oscillations Predict Trait-like Cognitive Styles," by Brian Erickson et al., in Neuropsychologia, Vol. 120; November 2018 (reference) | | |
What the experts say: "Perhaps the most important scientific lesson about insight, is that it is as fragile as it is beneficial," write John Kounios, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Drexel University, and Yvette Kounios, a writing instructor at Widener University. "The aha! moment brings new ideas and perspectives, lifts mood, increases tolerance for risk, and enhances the ability to discern truth from fiction. But anxiety and sleep deprivation can squash these precious gifts." | | | Are you enjoying this newsletter? Consider supporting the vital science journalism we do with a subscription to Scientific American. Special discounts are available for Today in Science readers!
| | | • In January President Donald Trump called for a "next-generation missile defense shield" for the U.S. in an executive order, called the "Iron Dome for America," to be comprised of terrestrial and space-based missile interceptors. The plan is doomed to fail, writes senior opinion editor Dan Vergano, and is the definition of wasteful government spending: Some estimates pin the cost at upwards of $5 trillion. "It will cost too much, won't work and will endanger us all," he says. | 5 min read | | | In 2020, Kairina Danforth was the mayor of Crestone, Colorado, when it ran out of money to put its streetlights on. People liked the star-strewn skies so much that the town has kept the lights off — and joined the movement to reduce light pollution. CNN | 5 min read | | | From the February 1975 edition of Scientific American: The diatoms Hantzschia virgata reside about a millimeter below the surface of shoreline sand (left). During daytime low tides the organisms are propelled upward to the surface by mucus forced through pores at the end of their elongated, glassy cell wall (right). The diatoms remain in the sunlight, for photosynthesis, until moments before the sand is inundated by the returning tide." | | | Some people are more inclined to rely on insights than others. Research shows that the answers we arrive at during such bursts of clarity are usually correct...but not always. On the occasions that epiphanies are wrong, people tend to still be particularly confident about them. Even creative insights need factchecking! | How often do you experience "aha!" moments? Tell me about them by emailing: newsletters@sciam.com. I read all your notes and respond to many. Until tomorrow! | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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